Getting ready for GCSEs. Top tips to support your child through their GCSE exams

Transcription

1 Getting ready for GCSEs Top tips to support your child through their GCSE exams

2 Getting ready for GCSEs We know that preparing for GCSEs can be a challenging time, and we want to support you and your child during this period. There are a variety of ways you can help your child to be as prepared as possible for their upcoming GCSE exams. As a parent or carer, you can play a huge part in motivating your child to prepare for their exams by giving unwavering support, offering constant encouragement and showing an interest in their revision. Our Getting ready for GCSEs guide provides some handy tips on how you can help your child to break down every step in their journey to achieving the very best grades.

3 Top Tips 1. Talk to your child Speak honestly and openly with your child about the exam process and have regular conversations about their revision progress. Remind them that the exams will be a challenge but encourage them to persevere and to work hard in preparation. Your support, encouragement and interest can make a big difference to your child s motivation and ability to handle the academic and emotional demands of their exams.

4 2. Create the perfect environment for home revision With your child, carefully consider their working environment and help them to declutter if necessary, to set up a revision space. This will encourage them to stay focused during the exam period. Encourage your child to create a dedicated spot for all their basic revision materials including pens, highlighters, post-it notes, textbooks and notebooks. If there are other siblings in the house, ensure that they respect the revision time of their brother or sister in the run-up to their GCSEs. To show solidarity, you can make this a quiet period for the entire family, by reading books or encouraging your other children to study too.

5 Plan a revision guide together If revision is left to the last minute, this will limit your child s chance of doing their best. Help your child to make a revision timetable which includes the dates and times of examinations. Ensure that each revision session starts by tackling the most difficult topics first, and encourage your child to plan to revise specific topics in each subject, not everything at once. With your child, decide when would be best for them to revise. Plot time into the day for relaxing and seeing friends, but do not let them deviate from achieving their revision goals.

6 4. Find the best revision techniques for your child Everyone learns in different ways and revision methods should reflect your child s personal learning style. Aside from reading a textbook, there are many interesting revision methods your child could include in their daily routine. Below are three different types of learners. You and your child can determine which group they belong to and guide them to the best revision methods to suit them. Visual learners learn better by sight, by seeing and observing. Encourage them to: Create cue cards, timelines, post-it notes, colour-coded revision notes and mind maps Create drawings of topics Practise diagram labelling Highlight and annotate important keywords, facts and definitions Use online resources and websites Auditory learners learn better by hearing information. Encourage them to: Read notes out loud Watch and listen to videos and podcasts Record their own notes and play it back Have discussions about a particular topic Make a song or rhyme about their revision notes Kinaesthetic learners learn better with practical and hands-on experience. Encourage them to: Create revision flash cards Take walks and talk about the topics Participate in study group discussions Take part in activities that involve the subject, such as visiting a coastal area for the Geography topic focused on coastal landscapes

7 5. Download revision resources There are many resources and tools you can download for free or purchase to help your child revise and prepare for their GCSE exams. Our schools will be providing advice and materials for your child to use too. Working through past papers will also help your child to get an idea of the kinds of questions they can expect. Encourage them to answer the test paper as if under exam conditions, helping them to try out their learning and exam preparation. Here are some free online revision resources that our teachers would recommend your child uses: AQA Past Papers aqa.org.uk Bitesize bbc.co.uk/bitesize Get Revising Getrevising.co.uk Revision World revisionworld.co.uk Study Maths studymaths.co.uk GCSE Science gcsescience.com Revision notes for Chemistry and Physics bbc.co.uk/schools/parents

8 6. Talk to your child s school Your school will be making sure that your child has everything they need to support their GCSE revision, but it s important to find out about what is happening inside the classroom in order to help your child with revision at home. Make sure that you attend parents evenings with your child, ask questions and find out how you can best help your child at home. It is also important to check that your child is keeping up with homework set and attending the after-school revision sessions on offer. If you feel that your child is unsure about a particular topic or subject, encourage them to ask for help.

9 7. Healthy mindset = productive revision Stress and anxiety from GCSE preparation can take a mental, physical and emotional toll. To combat this, we recommend that students have a healthy diet and stay active. A healthy mind and body will also help them to be focused in school and concentrate during revision time. Try and keep unhealthy foods and sweet drinks to a minimum. Serve healthy proteins such as fish, peas and nuts. Fill plates with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Encourage your child to drink lots of water to stay hydrated. Daily exercise is important. This can be short walks or encouraging your child to play their favourite sport. Exercise gets oxygen flowing to the brain, which will help them relax and think clearly. Your child will need a good night s sleep during the run up to exams. Encourage them to switch off from social media / technology at least an hour before bedtime.

10 8. Dealing with exam stress If your child begins to feel demotivated, or falls behind a little on their revision, it s important to offer them help. Equally, if your child begins to show signs of stress, reassure them and encourage them not to give up. Listen to their concerns and let them talk freely about their issues and struggles. Help them take their minds off exams for a moment by taking them out or cooking them their favourite meal. Always reassure your child that you re very proud of them. Be positive, even if they are not, and stay supportive. End every conversation on a good note. Cut back on chores during the exam period to afford them sufficient study time. Offer praise and treats when they have reached revision milestones. Ask if there is anything you can do to help.

11 Get your own copy of the GCSE exam timetable, so that you know the dates and times of each exam and try to maintain a calm and relaxing home environment. The day before the exams: 9. Support your child s revision Encourage your child to take part in physical activity and provide them with healthy meals. Be aware of when the exam is, where it is and which exam your child is taking. Make sure they have all the necessary equipment, put together some mini-tests together and talk through any difficult topics. Allow your child to have an hour of relaxation before bed. Getting a good night s sleep will make a huge difference to their performance. Wish them good luck and let them know how proud you are of their hard work.

12 When the big day arrives, your child will be invited into school to collect their GCSE results, where they will be handed an envelope containing the results of all of the exams they took. On the day itself, be prepared for all eventualities. Your child may have done very well and will want to celebrate. But the news might not be so good, in which case they ll need your support and reassurance that it s not the end of the world. Encourage your child to talk to their teachers about their results and their next steps. If you have any queries or concerns about the GCSE process, results day or would like any more help with preparing your child for their GCSEs, please do contact your child s tutor or the school office. We are here to help! 10. Preparing for GCSE Results Day

13 For further information about the David Ross Education Trust please visit